Definition
A descent flown with the airplane's nose held above the horizon while engine power supports the descent rate, typical of an approach to landing in the landing configuration with flaps and gear extended. In this condition the airplane is operating at a relatively high angle of attack and a low airspeed, and power — not pitch — is the primary control used to manage the rate of descent.
Plain English
A descent where the nose is pitched up and the engine is helping carry the airplane down at a controlled rate, rather than gliding. The pilot adds or reduces power to change how fast the airplane sinks, while keeping the nose attitude steady.
Context Anchor
Seen in descent and approach discussions, especially when a pilot tries to slow or stretch a descent by raising the nose while using power.
Why Pilots Care
Allows better forward visibility during descent and gives precise control of sink rate while keeping airspeed stable.
Grounding Statement
Picture the airplane hanging on engine power with the nose up while it still settles toward the ground.
Intuition Check
Nose-high does not mean climbing, and power-assisted does not mean the airplane is safely holding altitude. In this condition, the airplane can still be descending and may be close to a stall.
Example Sentence 1
On final approach with full flaps, the airplane was in a nose-high, power-assisted descent condition, and the pilot adjusted the throttle to hold a steady descent rate toward the runway.
Example Sentence 2
On base leg the pilot entered a nose-high, power-assisted descent condition to maintain 75 knots and a 500-foot-per-minute sink.